OK, I have to admit.. I love the preshow... commenting on the dresses (not much variation in the guys' clothes, so there wasn't much to comment on there) Most of the commenting and the yelling we were doing was because of Jennifer Hudson's silver mini-jacket over her brown dress... and oh, why do they make pockets in gowns? She had her hands in her pockets!
I loved the show this year - Ellen DeGeneres did a GREAT job... the show never bogged down... it flowed but it was STIILL TOO FRIGGIN' LONG...
]]>We're here to see Eddie Izzard in his latest global tour - Sexie. This man is a comic genius and doesn't get to tour often. We had to go see him.
Well, Eddie walks out onto stage and his wardrobe is cranked-up a notch since the last time we saw him - black knee-length dress slit up the side (which he had to change during intermission to a short pleated skirt because he had problems with the material), black leather laced boots with 3" heels, black bustier and a blue military style coat with red piping. Oh, and breasts. Yes, Eddie talked at length about acquiring a wearing breasts, and how they could be used to manipulate people.
He talked at length about Greek Mythology, neanderthals (even about a Neanderthal version of Changing Rooms), how Balsamic Vinegarette didn't seem to exist until only 8 years ago, his Yemeni Passport and travel since 9/11 (or as he said, November 9 - which took people a while to "get") (yes, he was born in Yemen), and riding horses in a French Western (or, Baguette-ie Western) in Mexico - (Blueberry).
His stuff is clever, smart, and constantly shifting subjects to keep you on your feet, always coming back and referencing something earlier.
He was on stage for 2½ hours, with a short intermission.
You absolutely must see one of Britain's best comedians.
]]>We're here to see Varekai, the latest touring show from Cirque. A tour usually only comes around every three years, so when Cirque comes to town we have to see it. Times are rough for all of us. We normally go with other friends, but no one could afford going. We can't either, but we had to go. This show was going to be different for us. Bravo had run a 13-episode series Cirque du Soleil Fire Within that documented the the trials of putting this show together. You got to meet the cast and see what it was like to develop a Cirque show. You got attached to a few of them, only to see them fail and leave. Will the rest of the performers still be in the show? Anyway, we made it into The Grand Chapiteau. Our seats were on the main cross-aisle. The show was wonderful, as always. And as always, you can feel some acts aren't as strong as the others, and some of the acts just blow you away!
Go see the show. It's a must. Go. Find out if it's coming to a city near you. Go!
]]>Then I pick up today's Chicago Tribune only to see a big article on the front of the business section about my old company - marchFIRST, stemming from the bankruptcy trustee filing court papers saying "top officials directed or approved a pattern of wasteful dealings that last year drove the company into bankruptcy". Sounds all too familiar, and, even though none of this was surprising to me, it's the first time that I've actually seen it in print.
Watching the Grammy's tonight - still a bit boring. It's a long awards show that spans so many different areas of music that it's hard to get excited about. And I'm not sure how to make it better.
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